P etri stuttered, ‘Why, what’s the matter? Are you okay? What’s happened? Has your husband beaten you?’ He was reluctant to become embroiled in a domestic situation out in the bush.

‘He’s not my husband. I’m a prisoner here, both me and my children. That man is a psychopath. Just look at what he’s done to me,’ she said, pointing to her bruises.

‘The dogger’s not your husband? What are you doing here? What do you mean, a prisoner?’ Petri was doing his best to avert his eyes from the woman’s exposed body but the large bruises were clear.

‘It’s a long story, goes back years. I really and desperately need to get out and I don’t know how. I was kidnapped. I’m a prisoner. Karl’s going to be back soon. He left his dog in the building so he’s not gone for long. He doesn’t usually go out this early. I beg you, please help me! We’re not safe, not me, not my children. I’ll get the children; we must get away from here as fast as we can. Karl’s really very dangerous. He’s got a gun and —’

‘Yes, I know. I met him yesterday and I saw the gun in his ute. He went down the track about ten minutes ago. That’s why I came. I thought you were his wife and I could get your permission to collect —’

‘We must hurry. I’ll get the children.’

‘How do we open the gate, have you got a key?’

‘No, I don’t. I’ll get some things and try and climb over. You take the children. I’ll pass them over to you. Please.’ She turned and raced back to the building she had come out of earlier.

Doubts circled around in Petri’s head. If she was truly a prisoner, should he just break down the fence? What if she was the weirdo? She seemed desperate enough for her story to be true. And her accent clearly indicated she was not of the same ilk as the dogger.

Katherine, half running out of the building, led the girl and carried a smaller child in a blanket. She now wore a long, loose kaftan-like dress but remained with bare feet, as did the children.

‘Carolyn, wait here with Isaac while I get something to climb on to get over the fence,’ she said. Carolyn took Isaac’s hand and nervously looked through the fence at Petri. Katherine turned to go.

‘No, wait.’ Petri was now convinced she was telling the truth. The way in which she dealt with the children convinced him she certainly was not crazy. ‘I’ll break the gates with my ute.

Just move right back.’

He put the Toyota into four-wheel drive and, using the substantial ‘roo bar, pushed gently against the gates. They put up little resistance and, with a grinding noise of metal, bent then parted as the chain snapped. Petri had hardly moved forward when Katherine was opening the passenger door and thrusting the children into the cabin.

‘Go, go, just go,’ she cried even before she was completely inside. Her foot was bleeding where she had caught it on the damaged wires of the gate but she seemed unaware of either her pain or appearance. Petri started to reverse for a three point turn, hoping to reach the main road before the dogger, who was obviously the cause of the woman’s distress and intense fear, decided to return down the track.

Less than five hundred metres from the Factory compound driving became difficult and Petri stopped. ‘Hang on a sec, there’s something wrong. I think we’ve got a puncture.’ In reversing over the gates some of the broken metal had put a stake through the tyre. ‘Gotta stop and fix it. Sorry.’

The woman groaned painfully, then quickly said, ‘I’ll help.’

Leaving the children in the ute the two of them got busy with the jack. They worked in silence, conserving energy to change the tyre fast. She was putting the flat tyre back into its cradle under the vehicle and Petri tightening the last of the nuts on the spare when they heard it: the sound of an approaching vehicle.

‘Quickly, get inside and put your head down. Keep the children down too. If it’s your Karl he may not realise what’s happened. Once he’s passed I’ll get in. Meanwhile I must get this jack down. Hurry.’

The three were almost invisible, huddled down together on the passenger side. Katherine made herself as small as possible but it was very cramped with the three of them almost under the dashboard. To make space she shoved all of Petri’s maps and things on to the driver’s side.

She had just organised herself and ‘shooshed’ Carolyn when she heard Karl pull up. Isaac kept silent. He had already learnt the consequences of not being quiet when a man was around.

Karl leaned out of his window. ‘It’s you agin, eh? Thought I told ya ta bugger off. Wadda ya doin’ down this way eh? Shit, don’t ya city blokes listen to anythin’ we tell ya?’

‘I thought I’d see if this track went anywhere past your camp. I thought I could get to the creek without going through your place. It doesn’t seem to go beyond where you’ve got your ‘roo skins drying, so I was just on my way back. Big place you got there, for a camp. I got a puncture so I was just fixing it. I’ll be on my way and —’

Karl turned and was just about to drive off when he leaned out of the window again. ‘Bloody stickybeakin’ I reckons. Don’ let me see ya aroun’ these parts agin or I’ll shoot ya, just like the fuckin’ vermin ya is.’

Petri waited for the dogger to drive off. He did not want to get into the vehicle in case the others were seen when he opened the door.

The dogger’s engine revved as he prepared to drive away. Then unexpectedly it quietened. Why was he stopping again? Petri turned to see what had caught the man’s attention.

There, bounding down the track, was the dog.